Graduate advising

Graduate Frequently Asked Questions

1. Who is my faculty advisor?

While SSEBE’s graduate advisor can help you with programmatic concerns, course concerns should be directed to your faculty advisor. Every graduate student will have a faculty advisor who will recommend courses each semester and provide advice on the graduate program.

Master’s students (MS) in Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering (CESE) who enter the program without an advisor should first consult with the faculty specialty area coordinator (SAC) for their specialty area. Please reference your SSEBE graduate student orientation within canvas for a current list.

Master’s students (MS) in Environmental Engineering (EVE) who enter the program without a faculty advisor will work with the current Graduate Chair of the program Treavor Boyer. Students may later select a different faculty advisor.

Master’s students (MSE) in Construction Engineering (CNE) who enter the program without a faculty advisor will work with the current Graduate Chair of the program Samuel Ariaratnam. Students may later select a different faculty advisor.

Master’s students (MS) in the Del E. Webb School of Construction programs who enter the program without a faculty advisor will will work with the current Graduate Chair of the program Kristen Parrish Students may later select a different faculty advisor.

Master’s students (MSE) in Sustainable Engineering who enter the program without a faculty advisor will work with the current Graduate Chair of the program Narayanan Neithalath. Students may later select a different faculty advisor.

Master’s students (MS) in Data Science, Analytics and Engineering (Sustainable Engineering and Built Environment) who enter the program without a faculty advisor will work with the current Graduate Chair of the program Narayanan Neithalath. Students may later select a different faculty advisor.

3. What is a Plan of Study (iPOS) and how do I file one?

The Plan of Study (iPOS) functions as a contract between a student, SSEBE and the Graduate College. The iPOS should be submitted by the end of their first semester. To access your iPOS, log onto your MyASU and look for your My Programs box on the bottom right-hand side of your home page. Click on your program > iPOS > Graduate Interactive Plan of Study (iPOS).

You will find instructions for submitting the iPOS in the Initial iPOS Guide for Doctoral Students, Initial iPOS Guide for Master’s and Certificate Students, and in the iPOS video tutorial.

Your graduate chair, faculty advisor or specialty area coordinator will review and give final approval on your plan of study. Your iPOS will then be routed to the Graduate College for final approval. You can check the status of your iPOS in My ASU.

5. I am thinking about taking a semester off. How will this affect my degree progress?

Refer to the Graduate College’s Continuous Enrollment policies.

Once admitted to a graduate degree program, master’s and doctoral students must be registered for a minimum of one graduate level credit hour (not audit) during all phases of their graduate education. This includes periods when they are engaged in research, taking comprehensive exams, and/or working on or defending theses or dissertations.

These credits must appear on the iPOS or must be an appropriate graduate-level course (e.g. 595 or 795, Continuing Registration). Courses with grades of “W” and “X” are not considered valid registration for continuous enrollment purposes; students completing work for a course in which they received an “I” must maintain continuous enrollment.

Graduate students planning to discontinue enrollment for a semester or more must request approval for a leave of absence. Students may petition SSEBE for a leave of absence for a maximum of two semesters during their entire program. The petition for a leave of absence can be submitted through the iPOS.

This request must be filed and approved before the anticipated absence. An approved leave of absence will enable students to re-enter their program without re-applying to the university. Students who do not enroll for a fall or spring semester without an approved leave of absence by the Graduate College are considered withdrawn from the university under the assumption that they have decided to discontinue their program. Students removed for this reason may reapply for admission to resume their degree program; the application will be considered along with all other new applications to the degree program.

7. I am planning to take the comprehensive or qualifying examination. How do I sign up?

Each specialty area has different requirements for the comprehensive examination (at both the master’s and doctoral levels).

Master’s level

If you are an MS/MSE. student and plan to take the comprehensive exam and graduate in a particular semester, you should notify your faculty advisor and your graduate advisor. An approved iPOS must be on file prior to completing the exam and you have to apply to graduate in order to be registered for the exam. The faculty advisor will administer the comprehensive exam.

Comprehensive exams typically take place shortly before the end of the semester in which you plan on graduating.

Once you complete the comprehensive exam, your results will be sent to your graduate advisor for recording.

Failing the comprehensive examination is considered final unless your faculty advisor approves of a re-examination and the Dean of the Graduate College approves. Only one re-examination is permitted and you would submit the petition for re-examination through your iPOS. Re-examination must be taken at least 90 days after the original exam and no later than one year from the original exam date. The Graduate College will withdraw students from the degree program if the student fails to successfully pass the retake of the comprehensive examination.

Doctoral level

An approved iPOS must be on file prior to completing a PhD Comprehensive/qualifying exam. PhD comprehensive/qualifying exams are taken prior to defending a dissertation proposal prospectus.

PhD students should confer with their faculty advisor and supervisory committee regarding the comprehensive exam process.

Upon completion of the PhD comprehensive exam, you must obtain the signatures of their faculty chair and committee on the Report of Doctoral Comprehensive Exams form. The form must then be submitted to the graduate advisor for the results to be entered into the iPOS.

Report of Comprehensive Qualifying Exam – PhD

9. I am ready to defend my PhD proposal prospectus. What procedure should I follow?

You must have an approved iPOS on file with the Graduate College in order to defend your dissertation proposal prospectus.

The comprehensive examination and dissertation proposal are usually completed after you complete 30 credit hours of coursework beyond the master’s degree—sometimes two separate events. You should consult with your faculty advisor before the defense.

When you are ready to defend your dissertation proposal, you should contact the graduate advisor for the Prospectus Report form. The committee will sign the forms, signifying that you have successfully defended and passed your comprehensive exams. After the defense, both forms should be submitted to the graduate advisor for the graduate chair’s signature. The results will then be entered into the iPOS.

Once you have completed your comprehensive exams and proposal defense, you are advanced to candidacy.

Report of Dissertation Proposal/Prospectus (DOC)

11. I am planning on graduating. What procedure should I follow?

If you are planning on graduating, you should email or set-up a meeting with your academic advisor to discuss the procedures.

You should apply for graduation by the deadline listed on the ASU Academic Calendar.

You must complete all requirements for graduation—defense or comprehensive exam—by the graduation deadlines listed by the Graduate College.

IMPORTANT! You MUST be registered for at least one credit during the semester you will graduate, including summer.

The Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering encourages all graduates to attend both our convocation (learn more about the ceremony) and the University’s commencement.

13. I would like to do an internship and/or avail of CPT (for international students). What are the policies and procedures for internships and/or CPT?

Graduate students can take advantage of internship opportunities. International students may do so through the CPT option. Please see the SSEBE Internship and CPT Policy document for complete information. International students should also consult with ISSC for advice on applying for CPT. Please consult Matthew Eicher ([email protected]) for additional information and assistance.

2. How do I register for courses each semester?

Once admitted to a graduate degree program or graduate certificate program, students must be registered for a minimum of one graduate level credit hour during all phases of their graduate education, including the term in which they graduate. Please see the ASU Graduate Policies and Procedures for details.

You should meet with your faculty advisor at least once per semester until you have an established plan of study (iPOS) in place to select courses for the following semester.

Once a course schedule has been selected, if you require an override to register for a course that is offered through the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering please submit the override request through the Engineering Course Override Request Tool.

If the hold is for a class offered by another department, the student will need to contact that department’s advising office to see if they can be allowed in. Contact information can be found by searching the ASU website. Class schedules and pre-requisites are listed in the course catalog.

Students should pay close attention to the ASU Academic Calendar for information on course registration, including the online add/drop deadline, the single course withdrawal deadline, the complete withdrawal deadline and tuition payment deadlines.

4. I didn't do too well in my courses this semester. How will this affect my standing in the program?

Satisfactory Academic Progress
All graduate students are expected to make satisfactory progress towards completion of their degree. This progress includes maintaining a 3.0 GPA and achieving the benchmarks and requirements set by the degree program. If a student fails to meet the requirements of their degree program and/or the outlined requirements, they may be put on probation or withdrawn from the program.

Probation
You will be placed on academic probation if one or more of the following apply:

Your Cumulative GPA falls below a 3.00.
Your Overall Graduate GPA falls below a 3.00.
Your iPOS GPA falls below 3.00.

You will be notified of probation status one-to-two weeks after the conclusion of each fall and spring semester (after all grades have posted).

You will be taken off of probation by bringing your GPA up to a 3.00 or higher by the time you complete the next nine credit hours of approved coursework.

Withdrawals
SSEBE will request the withdrawal of a student from one of the academic programs if:

A student on probation does not earn a GPA of 3.00 or higher by the time the next nine semester hours are completed (research, thesis, dissertation, and continuing registration hours do not count).
A student receives a “D” or lower grade while on academic probation.
A student fails to meet any other conditions imposed as a part of their probation.
A student fails to obtain at least a “B” grade in all courses cited as deficiencies upon admission to the program.
A student does not fulfill their provisional admission requirements.

6. How long do I have to complete my graduate degree?

All work toward a master’s degree must be completed within six consecutive years, beginning with the semester and year of admission to the program. Graduate courses taken prior to admission that are included on the iPOS must have been completed within three years of the semester and year of admission to the program.

In order to extend this time limit, you must submit a petition to SSEBE, the Engineering Dean’s Office and, ultimately, the Graduate College for approval.

Doctoral students must complete all program requirements within a ten-year period. The ten-year period starts with the semester and year of admission to the doctoral program. Graduate courses taken prior to admission that are included on the iPOS must have been completed within three years of the semester and year of admission to the program (previously awarded master’s degrees used on the iPOS are exempt).

In order to extend this time limit, you must submit a petition to SSEBE, the Engineering Dean’s Office and, ultimately, the Graduate College for approval.

8. I am ready to defend my thesis. What procedure should I follow?

Your defense date must fall before or within the timeframe to hold a defense for the semester you plan to graduate. Please refer to the graduation deadlines for the semester. You MUST be registered for at least one credit during the semester you defend.

The thesis defense is a public event. Both the Graduate College and SSEBE will announce the defense and invite the public to attend. The public can view the student’s presentation, but will be asked by the committee to exit the defense once the committee begins deliberations.

Confirm that all members of the committee can attend the defense. The chair, or co-chairs, cannot be absent. Fifty percent of your committee must be physically present. If a member is unable to attend, follow the absent committee member policy.

You must have an approved iPOS on file with the Graduate College.

Prior to scheduling the defense, you should reserve the room for the appropriate date and time agreed upon by your committee.

Your defense must be scheduled in the iPOS at least 10 business days before your anticipated defense. Please see 10-Day Calendar for permissible defense dates. If you do not officially schedule your defense within the iPOS it is not considered a public defense and you will have to complete it again.

In addition, you must upload your complete, defense-ready document to your iPOS for format review at least 10 business days prior to your defense. Refer to Formatting your Thesis or Dissertation for more information on this process.

One week before your scheduled defense, an email will be sent to your entire committee and your graduate support staff reminding them to submit their results via the iPOS. Your committee will indicate the defense results, any revisions needed and submit them within 10 business days of your defense.

10. I am ready to defend my dissertation. What procedure should I follow?

PhD students cannot hold a dissertation defense unless they have achieved candidacy.

Your defense date must take place before or within the timeframe to hold a defense for the semester you plan to graduate. Please refer to the graduation deadlines for the semester. You MUST be registered for at least one credit during the semester you defend.

The dissertation defense is a public event. Both the Graduate College and SSEBE will announce the defense and invite the public to attend. The public can view the student’s presentation, but will be asked by the committee to exit the defense once the committee begins deliberations.

You should confirm that all members of the committee can attend the defense. The chair, or co-chairs, cannot be absent. Fifty percent of your committee must be physically present. If a member is unable to attend, you need to follow the absent committee member policy.